1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This chapter explores recent Canadian fertility behavior and some of the major institutional factors that may be contributing to Canada’s unique fertility situation. The first section describes Canadian fertility levels and trends, including details of the country-level fertility changes that have occurred since the early 1900s. […] The second part of the chapter explores macro-level factors related to these observed fertility variations—the economy, education, culture, and social policy.» (p. 100)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’auteure utilise des données de Statistique Canada.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

According to the author, «[f]ertility in Canada has been low for more than 30 years—lower than in other English-speaking countries. […] To understand Canada’s unique fertility trend, we need to look at the regional level. Alberta has consistently had higher fertility, at a level similar to that seen in other English-speaking countries. Provinces and territories with high proportions of Aboriginals have had even higher fertility, with TFRs [total fertility rate] well above replacement […]. The TFR in all provinces generally decreased throughout the 1960s and has been fairly stable since the early 1970s. The exception is Québec. Initially, fertility in Québec was the lowest of all provinces, but in the 1980s it began increasing, narrowing the gap with other provinces. Fertility in Québec has been higher than BC [British-Columbia] since the mid-1990s and higher than Ontario since 2005. The variation we see across provinces points to several macro-level or institutional factors as having an important influence on fertility. Perhaps most obvious is that family policies vary across province, and since the late 1980s, those in Québec have been the most generous. […] The heavily subsidized daycare and more generous parental leave currently in place are likely helping to further boost Québec’s fertility over that of other regions.» (p. 124-125)